"Rider! What the hell is going on?!"
Waver was sprinting through the hotel hallway, his breath coming in ragged gasps, making his abdomen burn. He had originally been stationed on the upper floors to maintain the magical barrier, but then a certain war chariot—one he knew all too well—suddenly crashed through the defenses. Without a word, Iskandar had launched an attack on him.
Waver understood that Iskandar had already lost to Romulus. This identical-looking "Servant" had to be either an imposter or some kind of replica. However, the difference in power was undeniable. With Kayneth as the primary combatant handling the direct confrontation, Waver had no choice but to flee.
Fortunately, Kayneth had reinforced the hotel three times and maintained it with three magical reactors. (Following a warning from Future Waver, Kayneth had relocated the reactors to the parking garage for easier evacuation and reinforced them a second time. After a monster attack, further reinforcements were carried out with the help of other magi.) Because of this, Iskandar's chariot couldn't easily smash through the walls to attack him directly, and the many turns in the corridor had repeatedly slowed Iskandar's pursuit.
As Waver crashed through another emergency door, intending to escape to the lower floor, he suddenly found his path blocked. The stairwell was crammed with survivors.
Initially, Kayneth had no intention of sheltering these people. However, the near-death arrival of Tohsaka Tokiomi had brought in some intelligence on Mount Enzō. Combined with Waver's pleas and the need for manpower to speed up the construction of magical formations, the Hyatt Hotel had become one of three survivor gathering points.
Most able-bodied survivors were tasked with repelling any stray monsters that slipped into the hotel and assisting with defense. The rest were scattered throughout the building without much order. Waver hadn't expected his panicked escape to lead the enemy straight to them.
"Run!" The fake Iskandar was already within striking distance, leaving Waver no choice but to shout at the survivors with all his might. Then, he slammed the emergency door shut and braced himself for a direct confrontation.
His half-baked defensive spells were shattered with ease. A devastating blow came crashing down on him!
Waver felt his scalp go numb. With no way out, he shut his eyes, bracing for death.
"You sure run fast—I almost couldn't keep up."
The impostor's attack never landed. Some unknown force had stopped his blade mid-swing.
Waver opened his eyes in shock, only to see a black-haired young man step out from behind the fake Iskandar. The youth even playfully patted the bull pulling the chariot.
"You're… Caster?!"
Although he had only met Jiang You once, Waver recognized him immediately.
"Yo, Mr. Kongming." Jiang You greeted him casually, but seeing Waver's expression, he couldn't help but slip up with his words.
"What the hell is 'Kongming'?!" Waver had no idea what Jiang You was talking about and was exasperated that he was joking in such a dire moment. "Can you handle this fake Conqueror King?"
"You already know my Noble Phantasm's effect. Leave this to me!"
As the countdown ended, the Duel Space activated, expanding the hotel's narrow hallway under its influence until it was wide enough for five Servants to fight comfortably.
Jiang You LP: 4000Iskandar? LP: 4000
"Caster, the Conqueror King's Noble Phantasm can summon a large number of Normal Servants at once. It not only grants massive attack boosts but also has piercing effects. Don't use low-defense Servants as a defensive line," Waver quickly provided information about Iskandar's deck. "His strategy revolves around himself—if you can destroy him immediately, the duel will be easy to win."
That was critical intel. Jiang You had originally planned to summon Black Sakura to set up a defense, but now Illya or Jeanne seemed like better choices. Not that it would have mattered much, given that he had Origin Bullet as a safeguard.
"Thanks—?" Jiang You nodded in gratitude but then noticed Waver was now suspended in mid-air, bound by chains.
The ever-persistent replica Gilgamesh had appeared again. The fake was about to impale Waver with a projected Noble Phantasm. Hundred-Faced Hassan, who was following Jiang You, tried to intervene but was swatted away by Enkidu, the Chains of Heaven—her individual stats were pitiful.
Jiang You, caught in the middle of a duel, couldn't physically assist, nor could he use Duel Spirits for help.
That left only one option.
Noble Phantasm Release—target: Waver and Gilgamesh!
The incoming Noble Phantasm aimed at Waver was intercepted by the system's rules. A second duel was initiated.
"I thought your Noble Phantasm wouldn't work outside the Holy Grail War. Good job, Caster!" Waver gripped his deck with excitement. He could feel that the Conqueror King's cards were still inside—meaning he could once again fight alongside Iskandar.
Waver LP: 4000Gilgamesh? LP: 4000Iskandar? LP: 4000 → LP: 0
Fighting against mindless, mass-produced copies was surprisingly easy. While Jiang You swiftly dealt with the fake Iskandar, Waver successfully summoned the real one.
"Kid, we meet again so soon!" Iskandar burst into hearty laughter at the sight of his familiar Master. "But why are you my enemy again, Hero King? This time, our positions are reversed!"
The replicated Gilgamesh wore a deep scowl, clearly uninterested in discussing the matter.
"Actually, I'd been thinking about inviting you other three Kings to a banquet," Iskandar mused. "But when I saw the Roman King earlier, I got a bit too excited and ended up dueling him instead. Well, no matter! This is the perfect opportunity to show the first hero my 'King's Path'!"
He gave Waver a look.
Waver immediately responded: "I activate the Field Spell – Army of the King!"
A tide of golden sands and soldiers surged forth as the Conqueror King led his forces in a charge against the Hero King.
Unlike in the original timeline, this Gilgamesh seemed utterly disinterested. As Iskandar and his troops charged, Gilgamesh didn't even move. Having no meaningful connection with Iskandar in this timeline, he simply wanted to end this farcical enslavement as soon as possible.
Gilgamesh? LP: 4000 → LP: 0
"This feels kind of… anti-climactic."
As the Duel Space dissolved, Iskandar began to fade as well. He glanced at Gilgamesh with disappointment before turning to Waver.
"As my acknowledged retainer, don't you dare die!"
With the farewell complete, Jiang You and Waver exchanged information. The key to surviving this crisis was executing decisive strikes against the cloned Servants.
"Roughly how many survivors are sheltered here?" Jiang You glanced at the nearly stagnant counter, debating whether he needed to visit Fuyuki Church.
"A little over 10,000?" Waver estimated. "Most of them are in the underground parking lot—it's sealed off and easier to defend. Why? Caster, why do you look so grim?"
[Current Survivor Count: 23,172]